


The Bittersweet Taste of Magic

by ImAlwaysSleeping



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst with a Happy Ending, Awkward Ciel Phantomhive, Character Death, Child Ciel Phantomhive, Fandom Allusions & Cliches & References, Hamilton References, High School Musical References, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Sorry, Jerk Sebastian, Manga Spoilers, Modern Era, Multi, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Separations, Teen Angst, Twins, Weston School Arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-02-18 20:35:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13108065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImAlwaysSleeping/pseuds/ImAlwaysSleeping
Summary: Astre had always known he was different. He just didn't expect to be a wizard, or new attendee of the esteemed institution known as Weston. He just hopes he can survive boarding school without his brother.OrAfter Astre Phantomhive learns of his magical abilities, he's forced to leave most of his family behind. That's because he's being shipped off to a fancy new wizarding boarding school. Along the way, he meets several new acquaintances, and begins to understand other people. That is until tragedy befalls him and his family. Can friends new and old help him through this tough time?





	1. The Letter

Ever since he was a old enough to talk and walk, Astre always knew something was a little off about him. He could do things other boys his age couldn't. When he had extreme outward bursts of emotions, things always got a little out of control. Lights would flicker, objects would seemingly levitate, and time would just seem to drag on for what seemed like forever. Although he craved to confess to somebody, his brother mainly, he kept the secret to himself. Ciel was the only person in this world who actually believed in him, so why mess up their bond for something so monumentally unbelievable? So he made a promise to never spoke of it. Until one day he heard word from his parents about one of his cousins, a tall blonde boy by the name of Edward, had been invited to a boarding school established near the River Thames.

The school was one by the name of Weston, and was for secondary students, a topic deemed completely irrelevant by a young primary student such as himself. He never thought much of the school and swept it under the rug until had Ciel brought it up in the conversation of school selections while riding along in a cab.

An at the time 9 year old Astre remembered the night vividly. It was a crisp autumn evening, one where the leaves adorn the cobblestone streets and lampposts flickered dimly in the pale light of the moon. Such a peaceful yet resolute evening.

"You know boys, you two have to start considering possibilities for schools. I've heard great things about some of the ones neighboring our estate," said Vincent, their father. He continued by stating that they would have to ask some relatives about the best place to send them to. Their mother eagerly agreed. Ciel seemed to ponder this for a moment before speaking up.

"Like the one Edward's at? Didn't you all say good things about it?"

Rachel contorted her face into a conflicted look. Her gloved hand rest thoughtfully on her pale chin and her thin eyebrows knotted together in concentration. She eventually perked up, and gave a sufficient answer.

"Um, well, Edward has a rather special case, you see. Weston is a very renowned establishment, and with that there are certain requirements that must be meet to enter. Some are born with these traits, such as Edward. I honestly you doubt that you boys have the things they are searching for."

Astre then asked the question that plagued both his and Ciel's rampant thoughts. "Mother," he asked as politely as he could,"what exactly would those requirements be?"

Lady Phantomhive looked alarm for a second before answering in a forced but nonchalant voice, "Oh, don't worry about that, dear, it's not important."

And that was the end of the discussion.

_

When he contemplated the thought of leaving his normal life behind, Aster Phantomhive could have jumped for joy. He knew nothing of the sort was bound to happen to him, of course. He was the younger twin, the one bound to inherit nothing. But here, at eleven years old, he stood silently skimming over his ticket to a better future, completely full of a healthy pride. 

He had heard rumors of the infamous school from his parents, but knew the thought of it remained an unattainable like a forbidden fantasy. He, a weak and useless boy, was totally unremarkable and so unlike that of his family, who were strong and unopposed. He, a boy so awkward and unsociable, that it was almost humorous. He, the Spare, destined to inherit nothing from his family's respectable reputation and nobility. But now, he, the boy with the letter to Weston School, felt like he could actually accomplish something useful or extraordinary for once. Normally there was no way he would be accepted into such a prestigious school. He was the "dumb" (if you could call it that) twin. The screwup. Now ready to be someone more.

The name that was lazily scribbled across the waxy parchment, was no doubt his. From the curve of the cursive A all the way to the E, the letters danced around perfectly, blending together into harmony until he was almost dizzy from the unavoidable excitement. He scrambled to the parlor in a blast to find his unassuming family attending to their daily weekend schedules. The days of late had grown hot in the July heat, something very unusual for the rainy and bleak skies of England. Everyone had remained inside to escape the tortuous and sweltering mess, relaxing carelessly in the conditioned houses.

His parents looked up. Rachel was stitching a pattern on to a tapestry. Vincent was reading the afternoon news. Ciel immediately lit up at the arrival of his younger twin brother. Perhaps he could come and play with him. Lizzy was to come over soon, so they might be able to bond together for once.

But a flash of recognition shot all over their faces when they spotted the letter on his petite hand. Something was going obviously going on.

"Astre," his mother started," what's in your hand, dear?" Her words were rather shaky, almost as if she hadn't anticipated this turn of events. Astre's beaming grin, it seems, was not going away. 

Ciel ran up to his identical twin and proceeded to snatch the parchment from his hand and began to read it aloud.

"Dear Mr. Phantomhive, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Weston Secondary School. Encased below is a list of items that you will need to complete during your first year. We are pleased to have you at our esteemed institution and will look forward to seeing you on September 28. Have a blessed day. Signed, Headmaster Undertaker."

After Ciel finished reading his brother's letter, he turned to face him head on. He was absolutely giddy, a beaming grin very evident on his round face. He then embraced his brother in a suffocating embrace and began to sing him praises. Their parents, on the other hand, just exchanged surprised glances.

Vincent proceeded to get out of the vintage love seat that he sat in. He drew in a deep breath and asked to see the letter in question. The twins, trained to obey their father's every whim, did so without question.

The Earl studied the note with a neutral face, eyes surfing up and down the paper. Sure enough, it looked official. Just to be sure, Vince tested his sister, former attendee of said place. And soon enough, they were discussing the authenticity of it. The insignia and writing were all lined up correctly, so they had come to the conclusion that it was real. The two siblings watched with a vague interest as the Earl did every possible test to prove a point. When it was all over, he let out a subtle sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Finally, he turned to his lovely wife and gave a final nod, one of confirmation. It was crystal clear in her eyes that she understood whatever he meant by it.

Eventually he stopped down to eye level with his only two children, placing his gloved hands on their heads. He looked Astre in the eye, and asked him," Astre, have you noticed anything. . . Unusual recently? Like being able to, say," the Earl started twirling his hand in a circular motion, a notion obviously meant to be seen as casual," do things other children can't?"

The Spare sucked in his breath as soon as his guardian uttered the question. In an instant, he started fiddling his sleeves. The parents saw this motion and took it as confirmation.

After a few seconds, Vincent gave a an exhausted smile. "So it seems, huh? Well, let me be the first to tell you, my son. You're a wizard, Astre."


	2. The trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angsty shopping chapter with the Midfords! Wow I'm great at summaries.

When Astre was told he was a wizard, he thought his father was crazy. There were no such thing. Even though father looked deadly serious when he told him this, he almost laughed in his face. Ciel almost did like wise.

But after he explained the system in which he would have to go through, both twins could tell he wasn't lying about any of it. He nearly fainted from surprise. Ciel just looked like he was torn between deciding if it was April Fool's Day or not.

Vince could see the very evident disbelief on his children's faces, so he twisted his head to get view of his wife. She looked back at him with sympathetic eyes, clearly knowing that she would have to take the lead in this situation.

Rachael let out a soft grunt as she got out of her chair and made her way to the twins. She then pulled a graceful smile on her thin lips, sat down, and urged them closer to her. They graciously accepted her offer to let them sit in her lap, and both decided to take a knee, despite knowing if anyone had found out they did this, they would immediately lose any "street cred" they had managed to earn among their previous peers. Yet, starry eyed and full of wonder, they began listening to their beautiful mother and her smooth voice, soaking up every word that pasted through her pink lips.

"You two are getting quite big, you know that? Almost in secondary school," she trailed off for a moment, as if she were reminiscing over all the years that had past. Her words were a gentle tug on a harp, a sweet, familiar sound willing to lull anyone into a calming slumber.

She continued, nonetheless, in the same sugary voice. "You know, with getting older, there are certain responsibilities and changes that need to be taken on. That includes going to different schools to achieve different things. You two need to realize that. Now, I know it won't be easy, especially considering how close you two are, but when you do it, you'll realize it'll be for the better."

While Astre had gotten the message and had even previously thought the same thing, he looked over at Ciel, who had his puffy eyes concealed by his hair. Astre sucked in a small breath, deciding to tell his brother that their mother was correct in her advice.

He, however, didn't. That's because Rachel had opened her eyes in the time that Astre did and saw her other son's despair.

"Ciel, sweetheart, it's okay. Let it out, shhhh." She began patting her eldest son on his back. And, as if on cue, crystalline tears began to cascade Ciel's face. Astre took this as his time to try and comfort his brother.

"Oh, Ciel. Please stop crying. It won't be that bad. We can still call each other and I'll come back home in the summer!"

Vincent, who was now watching hesitantly from afar, chimed in with his input on the matter. "Ciel, your brother is right. When my sister, your Aunt Francis, went to Weston I wasn't able to see her either. And look at us, we're still thick as thieves. There's absolutely no doubt that you and Astre won't be the same."

This comment at the very least seemed to stop his sons from growing louder, so their mission was deemed successful for the moment. He just needed time.

_

The departure day was almost upon the youngest twin, even as he struggled to pull the last of his supplies together. The Phantomhives had no idea where to gather the items on the list, and acquired help from the Midfords. They decided to go shop together, as it turns out both Elizabeth and Edward were going to the school.

They took a cab to their meeting place, the Sphere Music Hall, to wait for their relatives. But, as it turns out, the Midfords were the ones waiting for them. The Midfords, you see, were a very respected family throughout all of Europe. That's because of the customs and legacy they had built up during the years.

But one couldn't help wonder. What was legacy? Why was it to be deemed so important everybody in the world? What about it was to determine the importance of others by the events and accomplishments they had made? Well, legacy was simple. It was planting seeds in a garden you'll never see. A silly concept, if you asked Astre. It's not like the titles of nobility they inherited actually meant anything anymore. This wasn't the Victorian Era. But he held his tongue whenever the topic came up, and life proceeded to go along as normal. Or as normal as it could get in this situation.

They got out of the cab and made their way over to where the other family was patiently waiting. Elizabeth jumped up at the sight of her two closest and only cousins, while Edward just nodded in their general direction. Francis Midford greeted her brother from a bench and her husband did the same. They then had a chat about the sudden surprise that Astre had given them and thanked them for letting them tag along on such an event.

Elizabeth had run up to both twins and started talking in unintelligible squeals. They occasionally heard something like,"I'm so excited! I can't wait to see it again," but nothing ever too specific.

It wasn't long before they received word from their parents that it was time to go. The Modfords stopped for a moment. They had to break the news.

"I'm sorry brother, but this is as far as you go. The Ministry of Magic has very strict rules about the exposure of magic to mug- excuse me, non magical people. I will be willing to take Astre with me, but that is it. If they found out that you already knew as much, I'm afraid we would both face extreme consequences."

Vincent and Rachel seemed to understand, but both Elizabeth and Ciel pouted at the very idea.

"Why isn't Ciel allowed to go, mother? I thought he was accepted at Weston," she whined, very well aware it was a futile attempt.

"I'm not allowed to go? I won't be able to see Astre for a long time already! Please let me tag along, Aunt Francis, I won't cause trouble," Ciel politely retorted.

"Wait, Ciel, you're not going to Weston?!"

"I'm afraid not Elizabeth. I'm not a wizard, if that's what you mean. Astre's the one who received the letter."

"You didn't tell me! Ah, man. This year will be positively awful without you," Lizzy complained, completely ignoring other Phantomhive twin behind her.

"Oh, don't talk like that Lizzy, you have Astre. And from what I understand, you are in his year. Something about the cut off date that's preventing you from being a second year. Maybe you guys will see each other!"

While Elizabeth tried to unsuccessfully hide her disappointment, the Spare had gotten used to this attitude and ignored it. Even though he was her cousin, he was the one least favored by her.

Then the remaining party members ducked out if view in an alley tucked between two brick buildings. Aunt Francis then pulled out a long, white stick and began mumbling words. Astre did not interpret them, but instead watched with an interested gaze.

When she finished, which was not but a few seconds afterwards, they were taken in what felt like a whirl of pressure. A thick fog wrapped around them in a thick blanket before disappearing in a matter of seconds. When they emerged, they were in a road of sorts.

Hundreds of people were lumped in groups, walking and talking without a care in the world. They wore unusual clothes, like cloaks and long skirts. Some had brightly coloured hair, others to toted around cages of various animals. None of them gave a passing glance to either the single Phantomhive or larger group known as the Midfords.

The Midfords, who were used to the unusual scenery, sauntered on without a care and almost left their relatives in the crowded street. They eventually just decided to grab Astre to avoid losing him and proceeded to stop at a little shop on a corner.

It looked normal enough, with red brick making up the exterior and a little green door plastered on the front. A worn down sign bore the letters,"Merlin's Beard: Books and Cauldrons".

Upon entering, the once quaint looking shop was now almost doubled in size. Shelves upon shelves were lined in neat rows, and took up most of the space. An enormous chandelier hung at the very center of the store, shining in all of its glory. In the back, a single cashier stood at a shabby desk, completed with a dusty bell and tip jar. After further inspection, it seems, they weren't alone. Chatter echoed quietly between the slim isles. And a tall Indian boy emerged. And an older and even taller man followed suit.

They were walking past them, obviously not giving a care in the world, before stopping dead in their tracks and turning around. When the smaller one caught sight of Edward and a shining grin beamed giddily. He then ran up to him and began to suffocate him in a tight hug.

"Edward," he yelled,"it's so good to see you!"

Edward immediately cringed upon impact. His face scrunched up before he managed to mutter out,"Hey, Soma. Can you please let me go?"

"But Edward," he exclaimed wildly," we haven't seen each other since the  last school year! You haven't even written me!"

Edward looked around, a look of caution her apparent on his pale face. Having not seen anyone, he let out a hefty sigh and began to further explain his reason.

Elizabeth and Astre watched with a piqued interest at this interaction until the other boy turned to both of the of them. He watched them wide eyed and asked Edward if these were his siblings.

Edward told him that Elizabeth was but Astre was not. Nonetheless, he began to probe them with questions like what "house" they were in and if they were excited for the new school year. Lizzy answered on cue, but always left Astre in the dust. It became obvious to the boy that he didn't know anything about the school.

When the man he had somehow managed to dub as Soma left, they were contented with retrieving the previously forgotten school supplies. Finding the them wasn't the hard part, so they finished and rang up their items on schedule. On to the next store.

"Edward, please avoid such interactions in the future. It's unprofessional," Francis inquired sternly, making sure to get her point across.

It lasted for a while, but as more time passed, more people came up to greet him. Upperclassmen, it seemed. They all were trailed by energetic siblings. It was almost like that for the entire trip.

Astre was glad when it was all over. Socialising wasn't exactly his cup of tea. He sighed. How was he ever going to survive the year without Ciel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a sort of sneak peek into the wizarding world. I know this chapter is not the best, more of Weston and it's characters will be introduced in the next few chapters. ^^


	3. The Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boarding a train has never been so weird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Back at it again with another update! Sorry, this one is later than I intended, so please bear with me, for I am also attending school and won't have as much time to write during the day. Or at night. But another update is on its way, I can tell you that! Please enjoy and ignore my ramblings. :)

"So... how was the shopping trip?" 

Astre hesitated. He wasn't sure if he wanted to give his honest opinion or lie about it. He had already made such a big deal about going to the school, so he didn't want to disappoint his family more than he already did. He sighed inwardly before plastering with fake smile on his face.

"Oh, I had a great time. We met a lot of Edward's school friends, and they were nice. I didn't talk to them much. Lizzy did most of that," was all he responded with, praying that no more questions would come his way. He was having a hard enough time as it is, and lying wasn't one his specialties.

Unfortunately, this is not what happened. Even if Rachel and Vincent didn't want to know all the gory details, Ciel sure did and that was his worst fear. When answering his questions, he always turned away from him making busy with some useless trinket, hoping that his back would muffle his pained voice. And since Ciel didn't make comment on anything, he presumed that that it worked. Only one more week until he had to leave. And he never dreaded something more. One big year long social gathering to be awkward and alone at.

_

When departure day finally arrived, the Phantomhives rode over to the Midfords' place without a hitch. Astre's luggage took up most of the room in the cart, making it hard to move. But no one seemed to mind and managed to ignore that on the dull ride over. No one said a word for the entirety, and the youngest Phantomhive was grateful to avoid such a paining task.

Not before long, they had landed at the mansion where the Midford family congregated and exited the carriage. They were greeted by a servant by the name of Robert and led into the house. Inside the foyer stood Francis and Alexis, surrounded by mountains of luggage. And both Elizabeth and Edward popped out from behind it.

They were both decked out in their school uniforms, with Edward in a suit, green tie, and slacks and Elizabeth in a skirt and cardigan. Astre immediately felt embarrassed for choosing to not put his on beforehand. He ducked his head down and hoped for for the best. 

Aunt Francis had other ideas and scolded him for not coming already dressed. She ordered Lizzy to show him where the bathroom was located. So, he rummaged through a random suitcase and pulled out another uniform. He didn't get a good look at it, and just assumed it would look decent enough.

Now being led by a talkative Elizabeth, they finally arrived at their desired location. And although he was dressed without any problems, he couldn't bring himself to leave the bathroom. He suddenly had the urge to vomit. Though he didn't know why. He had felt fine before, so why now as he was about to board a train to a new school?

After ultimately deciding to wait it out, he heard a soft knock on the door and his mother's voice asking if he was alright. He sighed and plucked himself from his spot by the toilet and opened the door. 

He wasn't sure if his mother could sense his dread, but it seemed that she had. Her distressed face transformed into a look of remorse before she bent down to his height. She understood his hesitancy, but realized he would regret not taking an opportunity as big as this in the future. 

She placed a kiss on his cheek before giving her most reassuring smile. "I know you're nervous, sweetie, but this will be fun for you. Now come along. We're going to be late."

Astre exhaled. He followed her, shuffling rather sheepishly through the halls of the Midford manor. He held his breath all the way there before standing awkwardly by his big brother, feeling eyes pierce him unrelentlessly.

Ciel turned to him to offer his opinion on his uniform. His blue eyes instantly lit up as soon as he took a good look at him.

"Wow, Astre," he began," you look great! Very professional, I must say!" The eyes were off him now, and he could've sworn he never felt more relieved. He always felt their glances, though, but pretended to ignore them. He knew that they were supposed to be concerned but he couldn't help but feel like they were judging him, picking away his flaws and weaknesses.

What felt like an eternity to him, however, turned out to be around five minutes. Soon it was time for everyone to load up a car and drive to the oh-so-mysterious train station.

The drive wasn't too bad. It surpassed 15 minutes, which is around the time that Ciel always deems excruciatingly boring, but stayed under 25. Astre honestly appreciated longer car rides. He would imagine whole new worlds and put characters in them. Sometimes they would be new and entirely of his own creation, other times they are would be from already existing franchises. He loved it, and found pacing and moving vehicles often moved his daydreams along like a surfer on a wave.

The train station looked the same as any other. People sauntered around and chatted idlely taking no notice to the odd bunch as they made their way to their station. Astre would've helped, but in all of the confusion he had forgotten to ask. Eventually, they came to a large abandoned food stand. And they started to walk into it. They disappeared.

Astre stood at an utter loss for words. He exchanged confused glances with Ciel, before he too walked into the mysterious platform. Now Astre stood with his mother, honestly very afraid of what would happen if he walked into the deserted pretzel stand. But deciding it better to get it over with, he sucked in a breath of air and pushed his trunks into the wall.

He expected to cringe on impact, but was pleasantly to find himself on the other side of a beigewalls, stuck smack dab in the hustle and bustle of another train station. He stood gawking at it, soaking in the endless sea of people gathering about, but found himself shoved to the side, by his mother no less. 

"Oh, dear," she exclaimed. She saw her son had tumbled to the ground and had offered him and back up. He gladly accepted and brushed the dirt off of his uniform. She apologized, then told him that he was going to be late, and pointed a pale finger to Vincent, Ciel, and the Midfords already threatening to board the train.

The smiles on Elizabeth and Edward's faces were enormous. They were excited, anyone could tell that much. Astre looked around. It seems everyone was smiling. He sighed. Maybe he could smile like that here someday.


	4. The Boot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Not the most conventional sorting tool, huh?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop! Another chapter! I wasn't planning on posting this today, but I managed to stumble out of writers block late at night. As you may notice, I'm not the best at creating house names. I tried. Well anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. We're getting closer and closer to more magic! :)

The rest of the Phantomhives left due to having a meeting before the train actually took off. The Midfords had also ultimately decided to take off to attend to personal business matters of their own. Ciel was taken with them.

Having being left alone with his cousins on the train, Astre had decided to follow Elizabeth. Having known Edward was three years his elder, he figured that he had friends of his age and didn't want to disturb him. They both toted their luggage to a vacant compartment and struggled with pushing it up into the overhead carrier as they were too short. After much struggling they finally managed to succeed.

Elizabeth took refuge in the very middle, leaving Astre to choose his preferred spot in the back corner. Surprisingly, this compartment seemed to be missing a bench on the opposite side. People came and went, some glancing at the duo, others ignoring them completely l because they were so absorbed in their conversations. Astre preferred it that way. He liked the solitude of his thoughts, distracting him from his weak health and lack of friends. Even if it did limit his ability to make friends. Even Lizzy, who was so sociable, couldn't get through to him on this day. He remained as quiet as a mouse. And unbelievably, they had quite a bit of time before they actually took off.

That was until a girl in a wheelchair passed by. She was pushed by a large burly man with sideburns and a permanently annoyed face. They stopped in front of them, obviously somewhat confused as to what they were doing there. That's when Astre noticed a bright yellow sticker placed precariously above his head. He sent his cousin a panicked look, and jerked his head in its direction. Her eyes widened, and she immediately began rambling in an apologetic manner.

The girl, who had long black hair and stunning emerald eyes, looked at them with complete astonishment, almost as if she hadn't seen anything like them before. She motioned to the man, who scowled with annoyance and ordered him to open the door in some foreign language.

He reluctantly complied, and proceeded to place her on the opposite side of them. She shooed him off, and he went to a neighboring compartment, chasing anyone off his cold stares and demeanor. He kept a watchful eye on the three, glaring with complete disapproval despite the fact they hadn't done anything to earn it.

Elizabeth had been the first one to introduce herself after a break of awkward silence. Even if it was a little forced, there was a genuinely interested tone in her words. She had always been like that, but then again so had many others.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she feigned. "My name is Elizabeth, but please call me Lizzy."

The girl stared at them for a minute, as if she were absorbing the words said. Or if she were analyzing their physical features. Astre was the one she looked at the most.

She finally spoke up in a sweet voice, " It's nice meet you as well. I'm Sieglinde."

Sieglinde, it seems, had a rather unusual accent. She possessed the articulation that of a German, which was not uncommon in Britain but rather rare in an English school.

Elizabeth nudged Astre. He had been staring at the ground in a failed attempt to go unnoticed. He realized he had made more of a fool of himself that way and flushed a deep crimson.

He knew he owned her at least something, as Lizzy had often pointed out that he needed to get out of his own head. He knew she wouldn't help him, so he finally managed to mutter out something that vaguely sounded like his name. He added that it was a pleasure to meet her for good measure.

He could feel both of their eyes pierce him momentarily, but Elizabeth had been kind enough to point out that be was timid. Sieglinde understood though. She chuckled at his awkwardness, a gesture usually used to show affection, but was misunderstood by Astre.

Sieglinde and Elizabeth proceeded to hold a conversation while the youngest Phantomhive listened with vague interest. He wanted to point out certain facts in their conversation, but decided against it after fearing he would say something wrong.

Though they had yet to realize it, the ride was about halfway down its intended route. And with that, came the promise of numerous sweets from the trolley.

The trolley of sweets on the train was a universally know thing in the wizarding world. People always flocked to the idea of it, no matter what time period or location. It always carried cases full of sugary sweets, easy for nearly anyone to purchase items from it. It was always carted by a witch, and in this case, a young woman with red hair and large glasses. She was a nice young las, and quite a looker once her glasses where removed, but was incredibly clumsy.

She almost tripped four times before making her way to their cramped compartment. And when Lizzy agreed to purchase something for Astre, she gave them both the wrong item and change back. And it seems that her mistakes went unnoticed by some of the passengers, particularly one boy with brown curly hair and round spectacles.

He came practically running up to her, but as she crossed over to another section, he gave up almost immediately. After a second of panting, he turned to return to his point of origin before stopping at compartment containing the three students.

He knocked on the wooden part of the door, and waited for a reply. Everyone on the inside looked awkwardly around at each other before gesturing for someone to answer.

Elizabeth, of course, was the most courageous of them, cracked the door enough for the boy to squeeze in. He was polite, but energy radiated off of him in waves. He reminded all three of the occupants of a fan boy.

He introduced himself as Mcmillan, only after sitting down beside Elizabeth. He said he was a first year, just like themselves. He began to probe them with endless questions about the school, mainly the perfects, and about themselves. He was nice, though, so they didn't mind to much. He was a surprisingly interesting conversationalist. At least Astre thought so.

It wasn't long before the ride was over, and they were told to gather their belongings to sort them into carriages. They were led to set of numerous different carriages, each of them identical, and told to group up. Something wasn't right about them though.

There was nothing to pull them. Each of them had a seating bench and ropes to tether what Astre only could've guessed to be borses, but lacked the animal that was needed to operate them. He seemed like the only one to be surprised by this, as everyone else had made their way to their respective places.

Mcmillan noticed his gawking. He came up behind him.

"Oh," Mcmillan said, not noticing that he startled Astre," have you never heard of Thestrals? They pull the carriages! They're invisible, and supposedly look like like horses. I've personally never seen one, but from what I hear, they can only be seen by those who have witnessed death! I heard that Harry James Potter saw one before he beat You-Know-Who!"

Can only be viewed by those who have seen death? What did that mean? And who was You-Know-Who? Harry James Potter? Astre had no idea, but he sure wasn't going to ask. He was exhausted from the train ride and hadn't realized it until today. Any questions about wizarding lore could wait until tomorrow.

Following Elizabeth and Mcmillan, they took refuge in one of the remaining carriages and set off to Weston.

_

As Weston came into view, the sun had just begun to sink. A crescent moon came in its place, illuminating the sky with its pale light. The impression it left on Weston's creamy stone walls was magnificent. It was accentuated by tall clusters of various plants, each of differing colors and scents. Four fabric scrolls hung down seamlessly, each presenting an animal and color. There was a green scroll with a lion, one with a blue owl, another with a purple wolf, and finally a red fox. It looked like it was straight from a painting.

Everyone, including past students, were not immune to its charm. They all gazed at with starry eyes, taking in every inch of the picturesque landscape. It was only when Astre heard a collection of oohs and ahs did he realize their party was missing a member.

He looked around his carriage, and then at the others before realizing Sieglinde was in a wheel chair. How could she have fit in one of these things? No wonder she wasn't there. Perhaps she had to take another route. The dirt path certainly wasn't smooth enough to traverse over.

Soon enough he had forgotten about her, and was greeted along with everybody else by by four older boys. They could be no older than 15, but Astre concluded that normally prefects were in chosen year seven. They all bore colors and pendants identical to the ones on the four scrolls.

The brunet with glasses who had a blue owl pendant introduced them as the school prefects. A small wave a chatter sparked with this announcement, but was soon silenced by what seemed like the leader, a stunning man with long blond hair and a red fox pendant.

"Welcome all," he chimed out thoughtfully. "My name is Edgar Redman. I am one of four prefects in this school. We hope whether you are a returning student of Weston school, or if this is your first year you will enjoy your stay at our fine school. The sorting ceremony shall commence right before dinner. In the mean time, perfect Violet of the Violupas house shall being you all to the dining area. Greenhill, please direct any first years to their designated bathrooms if needed."

He dismissed them to a boy he deemed Violet. Astre hadn't noticed his features in full until he was up close. They had been concealed by a purple cloak. He had disheveled black hair with a streak of blond at the side. His eyes were dark and had deep bags underneath them. His lips didn't look much better. They were almost as dark as the night. He was clearly either sleep deprived or just not quite out of his emo phase yet. Nevertheless, he and everyone else followed the hooded figure to an enormous dining hall.

It was brightly lit, but no protruding wires or bulbs were to be seen. There wasn't anything in place of them, and was almost like it was lit entirely by magic. But it probably was, knowing they were in a school that taught magic.

There were several rows of tables, each housing around 15 seats. They were each marked by a colored table cloth, each of them the four colors of the different houses. The first years were told to stay behind and form a single file line, while the rest of the students chose their seats.

Astre could've sworn be saw prefect Violet carrying a large suitcase up to a risen platform with a singular stool. He wasn't the only one to notice, as all the first years directed their attention. They broke out into whispers, only some of which Astre could make out.

"Is that... It is! Woah, I never actually though I would see it..."

Violet proceeded to pull out a shiny black object. It was tall, pointed at one end, and was what looked like a boot. A boot? Astre blinked in surprise. That couldn't be right. He strained his eyes in a squint, but could not make out any other shapes.

Even Mcmillan, who seemed to know everything Weston, looked like he could hardly believe his eyes. He then burst into a hearty laughter. It was like that for almost a minute, before his laughter broke up.

Through his fit of hysteria, he managed to say," Not the most conventional sorting tool, huh?"


	5. The Wand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astre has a realization.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY COW MAN I'M SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPLOADING FOR SO LONG. I've been extremely busy these past few months. But now school is over! And now I'll be able to write more often. I'M SO SORRY. I'm not that into BB that much anymore, but I love writing this AU. I haven't abandoned it.

When the sorting ceremony actually began, Astre had to hold back his laughter. The thought alone of a bunch of eleven years olds putting on a boot about half a foot too big for them had him wheezing (not in an asthmatic way, thankfully). Not to mention the fact the as soon as the process started, the boot sprouted a wrinkly, angry face.  And, it appeared, the entire school agreed on the simple fact that this was hilarious. Giggles filled the room, breaking what was once a suspenseful atmosphere. McMillan and Elizabeth had gone around the same time and Sieglinde a little later, but he didn't pay much attention. Astre was pretty sure no one had. The boot just remained perpetually angry, clearly used to the yearly verbal abuse.

When they called his name upon the spacious wooden stage, Astre's breath caught in his throat. The laughter had died down, seeing as no one was present on the stage, but his legs felt like Jello. The bright lights that rained down onto the area, casting a bright circle onto the floor. The boot sat there, alone, except for a small stool that resided beside it. It beckoned him in an almost hypnotic fashion, but he found himself glued to his spot. The hysterical joy he had watching was now gone, only to be replaced by a electrifying fear.

A dull murmur broke out into the crowd, who was impatiently awaiting for the missing boy. The prefect called his name again, but it was drowned out by his thoughts. They buzzed in his mind like bees, flying around aimlessly until he could function no more. He looked around for some sort of sign, as if he could find something around to motivate him to move from his comfortable spot in line. 

Elizabeth mouthed at him to go, and he finally put one leg stiffly in front of the other. He must looked like a robot when he sauntered to the stairs that lead up, with all appendages dangling like sticks and eyes that looked completely and utterly dead. But up he went, with the level of snickering at a minimum. 

Astre walked up to the stool, which was a tad too high for his short stature, and hoisted himself upwards. Hesitantly, he grabbed the shiny black leather of the boot and slipped it on his right leg. It felt almost slimy against the soft fabric of his pants, but he squeezed his eyes shut and remained silent. 

He could feel this face heat up to what he could tell was a quite vivid shade of scarlet as he sat there for what seemed like an eternity. The boot didn't have much to say about him, but before long, it boomed out, "Sappis." The voice made him want to squirm, so he ripped it off as soon as he could. 

The only problem with this was that his wand fell out of his pocket and into the boot. And in his haste, he failed to notice. And as soon as he was off the stool, he zoomed off the stage and into the crowd, looking dutifully for an empty seat to occupy.

_

The next person who put on the boot immediately heard a defeaning snap from inside the shoe. It was audible to every crevice in the room. Realization hit the person trying it on - a young, pretty boy with curls of golden hair - and he slid the shoe off his leg. The boot, who was visibly annoyed to have had as something as important as a wand lost inside of him, snapped at the the boy to retrieve it from his insides. 

The boy was obviously disgusted by the thought, but stuck his hand down the interior if the greasy boot. What he pulled out was a wand that was split evenly down the middle. A dragon heartstring was shining valiantly, spilling out in a single golden strand. The boy who held the wand broke out in a fit of hysterical giggles, and it was only a moment before the rest of the room followed suit.

Something dawned on Astre right at that moment. It might have been the fact that the mass that was suddenly in his pocket was no longer there; Or maybe the fact that he was the last person up there. He couldn't tell.

All he did know, however, was that he had made a terrible mistake. What was he supported to do now?! Go up there and get it? No way! Did it even matter at this point? The wand looked like it would fall into even tinier pieces if someone looked at it the wrong way.

Wait.

Would he have to get a new one? Getting the first one had already been so. . . Troublesome! The youngest Phantomhive wished he could forget entering that cursed place. He had practically blocked it out of his memory until now.

Astre remembered the sensation of entering that store on the shopping trip with the Midfords. It was the last thing they had visited, and the distinctive, pungent scent of whatever invention the owner had been cooking up last had worked itself into the inner mechanisms of Astre's mind. Paper littered the floor, each housing a messy scrawl of nonsensical words. It was actually pretty cool for what it was. At least that's what the idea was before the shopkeeper showed up.

He came as swift as a rabbit and was gone as fast as he came. His taunting chortle was echoing faintly throughout the aisles, maneuvering itself into the ears and hearts of his concerned clientele.

Astre had no idea what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn't the man that appeared almost right before him without any warning. Astre pivoted his head to get a better look around when he heard it. A furious howl. 

His head swiveled back to locate the source of the noise to find an enormous silhouette looming above him. Piercing green eyes looked down on him and sharply manicured nails brushed past him in a blur, followed by a mass of flowing silver hair.

Even more laughter ensued from the mysterious being, whoever they were, and poor little Astre found himself sprawled on the floor in complete disarray. 

"Oh, my," it said in a nasally voice. "This is just too much! AHAHAHA!" It began to snort in a most unpleasant manner. Quite rude, if you wanted Astre's personal opinion.

"Oh, word. Would you please stop terrorising my nephew already?" Snapped Aunt Francis. "He's already scared senseless by his own shadow. We've come by to get him a wand, seeing as how my brother is not allowed in these parts." (Astre tried not to be offended by the part about being scared.)

The figure slunk out of the shadows and into the light. It - or rather, he - was even worse than Astre had previously imagined. The green eyes, however, seemed to be covered by the aforementioned white hair. An elongated scar etched itself onto his face, adding more mystery to the already very unusual man.

"Oh," he began. "Is this the Phantomhive boy I've heard so much about? He's a lot smaller that I anticipated. No matter. We've got things to do, people to see!"

The man sauntered to the front if the register and pulled out a box. "Try this on for size."

Astre, automatically petrified by being singled out, began fidgeting, trying to find an excuse to avoid walking up. But much to his dismay, he found his cousin pushing up to the counter.

Very hesitantly, he pulled a wooden stick from the box. It felt unnatural in his petite hands, but he took it anyway.

"How does it feel?" Asked Elizabeth. 

"Uh, okay, I guess?" It came out more as a question than anything else, but it was the most he had to said to them in one setting.

"Oh, no, boy. You're doing it all wrong. You've got to feel with your heart. Push outwards," said the shop owner. 

Push what outwards, exactly? He didn't want to ask. So instead he just tried.

"Ah, nothing. While that isn't terrible news, it doesn't necessarily mean we're close either." The man let out an exasperated sigh. "Let's get down to business. I can't wait to see you again after this. Perhaps we can measure you for a coffin soon!"

Wait. What was that supposed to mean? He'd have to ponder it later.

A few mishaps later, they had finally found the perfect one. And now it was completely and utterly destroyed. And he desperately didn't want to go back. The young Phantomhive groaned internally, completely dumbfounded by his idiocy.

Oh, Lord. This was going to be an awful year, wasn't it?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! This is my first time posting a fic, so please correct me if you see any mistakes. I hope you enjoy, and I will try to update regularly.


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